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Sheffield Graduate Attributes
Sheffield Graduate Attributes
The University expects its graduates to have acquired certain attributes (see the Sheffield Graduate). Many of these relate to good academic practice:
a critical, analytical and creative thinker
an independent learner and researcher
information literate and IT literate
a flexible team worker
an accomplished communicator
competent in applying their knowledge and skills
professional and adaptable.
Throughout your programme of study at the University you will learn how to develop these skills and attributes. Your assessed work is the main way in which you demonstrate that you have acquired and can apply them.
Using unfair means in the assessment process is dishonest and also means that you cannot demonstrate that you have acquired these essential academic skills and attributes.
What constitutes unfair means?
What constitutes unfair means?
The basic principle underlying the preparation of any piece of academic work is that the work submitted must be your own work. Plagiarism, submitting bought or commissioned work, double submission (or self plagiarism), collusion and fabrication of results are not allowed because they violate this principle (see definitions below). Rules about these forms of cheating apply to all assessed and non-assessed work.
1. Plagiarism (either intentional or unintentional) is the stealing of ideas or work of another person (including experts and fellow or former students) and is considered dishonest and unprofessional. Plagiarism may take the form of cutting and pasting, taking or closely paraphrasing ideas, passages, sections, sentences, paragraphs, drawings, graphs and other graphical material from books, articles, internet sites or any other source and submitting them for assessment without appropriate acknowledgement.
2. Submitting bought or commissioned work (for example from internet sites, essay “banks” or “mills”) is an extremely serious form of plagiarism. This may take the form of buying or commissioning either the whole assignment or part of it and implies a clear intention to deceive the examiners. The University also takes an extremely serious view of any student who sells, offers to sell or passes on their own assignments to other students
3. Double submission (or self plagiarism) is resubmitting previously submitted work on one or more occasions (without proper acknowledgement). This may take the form of copying either the whole assignment or part of it. Normally credit will already have been given for this work.
4. Collusion is where two or more people work together to produce a piece of work, all or part of which is then submitted by each of them as their own individual work. This includes passing on work in any format to another student. Collusion does not occur where students involved in group work are encouraged to work together to produce a single piece of work as part of the assessment process (e.g., group posters or presentations).
5. Fabrication is submitting work (for example, practical or laboratory work) any part of which is untrue, made up, falsified or fabricated in any way. This is regarded as fraudulent and dishonest.
How can I avoid the use of unfair means?
How can I avoid the use of unfair means?
To avoid using unfair means, any work submitted must be your own and must not include the work of any other person, unless it is properly acknowledged and referenced.
As part of your programme of studies you will learn how to reference sources appropriately in order to avoid plagiarism. This is an essential skill that you will need throughout your University career and beyond. You should follow any guidance on the preparation of assessed work given by the academic department setting the assignment.
You are required to attach a declaration form to all submitted work (including work submitted online), stating that the work submitted is entirely your own work.
If you have any concerns about appropriate academic practices or if you are experiencing any personal difficulties which are affecting your work, you should consult your personal tutor or a member of staff involved with that unit of study.
The page below provides a link to our University Regulations and information on preventing the use of unfair means and how to appeal against a charge.
www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/unfair-means
Other useful resources or information
Other useful resources or information
The following websites provide additional information on referencing appropriately and avoiding unfair means:
The Library provides research skills and critical thinking online tutorials and workshops: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/study/research-skills
The Library also has information on reference management software: http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/refmant/refmant.html
The English Language Teaching Centre operates a Writing Advisory Service through which students can make individual appointments to discuss a piece of writing. This is available for all students, both native and non-native speakers of English: http://www.shef.ac.uk/eltc/languagesupport/writingadvisory
What happens if I use unfair means?
What happens if I use unfair means?
Any form of unfair means is treated as a serious academic offence and action may be taken under the Discipline Regulations. For a student registered on a professionally accredited programme of study, action may also be taken under the Fitness to Practise Regulations. Where unfair means is found to have been used, the University may impose penalties ranging from awarding a grade of zero for the assignment through to expulsion from the University in extremely serious cases.
For example...
any student caught using unfair means in an exam situation would usually receive a mark of zero.
If the material found does not appear to be especially helpful and so it is impossible to determine for certain whether there really was a deliberate intention to cheat then in such cases only 10 marks will be deducted.
If a student were to bring in a mobile phone to an exam, but could prove that it was never within their reach during the exam and was not even switched on then a formal warning will be issued and no marks will be deducted.
If a mobile phone is switched on and a student is caught attempting to use it, or they are caught in a position where they could have used it, e.g. on a toilet break, then a mark of zero will be awarded.
All cases of unfair means are logged centrally. A note will remain on the student's record throughout their time at Sheffield indicating that they have used unfair means in the past. A second minor offence will always result in the more serious penalty being applied. Any severe or repeated cases of unfair mean will be reported to Faculty with a view to that student being permanently excluded from the University. This is a matter that we take extremely seriously.
Student coursework sites
Student coursework sites
Coursework sites encourage students to share course materials such as lecture notes, essays, lab reports and exam questions.
The University does not support the use of these sites and may take disciplinary action in line with the Student Discipline Regulations.
The copyright and intellectual property of such materials is owned by the University unless otherwise stated and you should always seek permission from the copyright holder before sharing any materials. Permission should be in writing and you should keep a copy of the correspondence. If you don’t receive a reply from a copyright holder this does not mean permission is granted.
For more information on coursework sites, visit:
Detection of Unfair Means
Detection of Unfair Means
The University subscribes to a national plagiarism detection service which helps academic staff identify the original source of any coursework material submitted by students. This means that academic staff have access to specialist software that searches a database of reference material gathered from professional publications, student essay websites and other work submitted by students. It is also a resource which can help tutors to advise students on ways of improving their referencing techniques. Your work is likely to be submitted to this service.
If you are found to have plagiarised your coursework submissions then you will be invited to a formal meeting and your work will be penalised depending on the severity of the plagiarism that has taken place. All significant cases of plagiarism will result in a mark of zero. Material that is lifted directly from another source should always be properly acknowledged (e.g., using quotes).
For further information
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